sleep paralysis?

It happens to me pretty often, its kinda scary while its happening, but when i reflect back on it its pretty cool. It last happened to me last night so thats why i'm interested. I was on my stomach and i thought/felt like i was like hovering or flying or something, it was wierd. My question is, how and why does this happen? I dont think its supernatural, so what is the scientific explanation? and what are some of your expieriences, like seeing things or feeling things?

This isn't scientific, just a layman's understanding. Sleep paralysis is a normal occurence that happens when you are in REM sleep and dreaming. Since dreams are often accompanied by movement, the brain, as a safeguard, makes it so that the dreamer will not thrash around.

That, I think, is it in a nutshell.

NC

A long time ago I was trying my hand at consious Out of Body Experiences. One of the books I was trying to learn from noted that for astral projection to work you musn't cross your legs or arms in any way. I don't recall the reason satisfactorily however one night I suffered from what seemed to be sleep paralysis. I was on my belly, with my arms crossed under my pillow/head. I became consious of another being in the room. It seemed to be straddling my lower back. I was terrified at what seemed to be an assault as I could only move my eyes.

I soon felt a strange sense that I was two places at once and noticed that it could be my astral self mostly clear from my solid self but still attached where my body crossed itself.

This episode happened in '93 after a field problem near whitesands in which the entire Regiment (3 ACR) reported a UFO sighting during the morning battle. A cigar shaped craft rose above a ridgeline and soon the radio was blowing up with reports. The Regimental Comander was out there to observe the field problem and quickly jumped on the radio to tell everyone to concentrate on their mission at hand! Me and another friend of mine from a differant squadron, who was also involved with the mission, came back with a small egg shaped lump in the same location on our backs (between the shoulder blades).

For a awhile I thought it was a UFO type sleep paralysis but after more thought have attributed the episode to an astral projection malfunction instead.

Maybe I'm just crazy...